Folate important for breastfeeding women
Vitally important in protecting against birth defects, adequate folate is also important for breastfeeding women.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in the US enrolled 42 women in a double-blind, randomized trial. The women received a daily multivitamin and either a placebo or 1 mg of folic acid per day. At three and six months after birth the researchers measured folate stores in blood and breast milk, dietary folate concentrations and homocysteine levels. Infant measures of growth, milk intake, and folate intake were also assessed.
In the supplemented women, values at six months for folate stores, milk folate concentrations and plasma homocysteine were not significantly different from those at three months. Folate stores were higher in the supplemented women compared with unsupplemented women at six months. Folate levels in milk also declined in unsupplemented women and they had higher levels of homocysteine.
The researchers concluded that 380 mcg, the average folate intake of the women who did not take supplements was inadequate to meet the needs of breastfeeding.
